Thursday marks the 265th anniversary of when our country’s first president trekked through Butler County.
It was this day- Dec. 27th– in 1753 when George Washington passed through Butler as he was returning to Williamsburg after hand-delivering a letter from the British Crown to the French soldiers at Fort LeBoeuf.
According to Washington’s journal, it was near Harmony when an Indian attempted to take Washington’s life by shooting at him at very close range. The event became known as “The First Shot” and was a prelude to the French and Indian War.
“The significance of it is Washington turned out to be the leader of the revolution, the leader of the Continental Congress, and the founding leader of this country,” retired county judge, and member of Washington’s Trail Association, Marty O’Brien said in an interview. “This is one of the greatest events in history that is generally overlooked by most historians.”
There is a monument in Butler County representing the event. It’s located near the Forward Township building on Route 68.
“The monument represents Washington’s trip through here and the attempt to kill him,” O’Brien said.
Now, Butler County residents can travel the exact path that Washington did. ‘Washington’s Trail’ is a signed and self-guided driving route through 10 counties in western Pennsylvania.
The trail is currently under review by the National Park Service for potential National Historic Trail status.
There’s only one national historic trail in eastern United States, it marks Washington’s route from Rhode Island down to Yorktown, which led to the end of the revolutionary war.
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